Tracking Device Operation in Safety-Classified Zone

ABSTRACT

Tracking devices can be associated with safe zones, smart zones, and high risk zones. Safe zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the safe zone is lower than outside the safe zone. High risk zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the high risk zone is higher than outside the high risk zone. Smart zones correspond to an expected tracking device, mobile device, or user behavior. Home areas are geographic regions in which a user resides, and travel areas are geographic regions in which a user does not reside. A tracking device can be configured to operate in a mode selected based on a presence of the tracking device within a safe zone, a smart zone, a high risk zone, a home area, or a travel area.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/703,548, filed Dec. 4, 2019, now patent Ser. No. ______, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/401,593, filed May 2, 2019,now U.S. Pat. No. 10,536,801, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/184,252, filed Nov. 8, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No.10,327,101, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/055,811, filed Aug. 6, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,187,746, whichapplication is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/841,841,filed Dec. 14, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,070,255, which applicationclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/546,454, filedAug. 16, 2017, all of which are incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to tracking devices, and morespecifically, to modifying the behavior of a tracking device or anassociated mobile device based on its presence in a zone or an area.

Electronic tracking devices have created numerous ways for people totrack the locations of people and/or objects. For example, a user canuse GPS technology to track a device remotely or determine a location ofthe user. In another example, a user can attach a tracking device to animportant object, such as keys or a wallet, and use the features of thetracking device to more quickly locate the object, (e.g., if it becomeslost).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example tracking system environment in which atracking device can operate, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example tracking system for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user mobile device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example community mobile device for use in atracking system environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example tracking device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a plurality of zones with associated behaviorprofiles that can affect the behavior of a tracking device or anassociated mobile device, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a plurality of areas that each contain a plurality ofzones, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a process for generating zones,according to one embodiment,

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a process for modifying trackingdevice behavior based on presence in a smart zone, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a process for modifying trackingdevice behavior based on presence in an area, according to oneembodiment.

The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention forpurposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Environment Overview

Embodiments described herein detail functionality associated with atracking device. A user can attach a tracking device to or enclose thetracking device within an object, such as a wallet, keys, a car, a bike,a pet, or any other object that the user wants to track. The user canthen use a mobile device (e.g., by way of a software applicationinstalled on the mobile device) or other device or service to track thetracking device and corresponding object. For example, the mobile devicecan perform a local search for a tracking device attached to a near-byobject. However, in situations where the user is unable to locate thetracking device using their own mobile device (e.g., if the trackingdevice is beyond a distance within which the mobile device and thetracking device can communicate), the user can leverage the capabilitiesof a community of users of a tracking device system.

In particular, a tracking system (also referred to herein as a “cloudserver” or simply “server”) can maintain user profiles associated with aplurality of users of the tracking device system. The tracking systemcan associate each user within the system with one or more trackingdevices associated the user (e.g., tracking devices that the user haspurchased and is using to track objects owned by the user). If theuser's object becomes lost or stolen, the user can send an indicationthat the tracking device is lost to the tracking system, which is incommunication with one or more mobile devices associated with thecommunity of users in communication with the system. The tracking systemcan set a flag indicating the tracking device is lost. When one of acommunity of mobile devices that are scanning for nearby trackingdevices and providing updated locations to the tracking systemidentifies a flagged tracking device, the tracking system can associatethe received location with the flagged tracking device, and relay thelocation to a user of the tracking device, thereby enabling the user tolocate the lost tracking device. As used herein, “mobile device” canrefer to a phone, tablet computer, or other connected device, and canalso refer to systems typically not consider mobile, such as servers,routers, gateways, access points, and specialized systems configured tocouple to tracking devices and report a location of the trackingdevices.

As used herein, “tracking device” can refer to any device configured tocommunicate with another device for the purpose of locating the trackingdevice. Tracking devices can be specialized or single-purpose devices(e.g., self-contained devices that include circuitry or components tocommunicate with another device). However, “tracking device” as usedherein can also refer to device or object with a different primaryfunction but with secondary tracking device functionality. For example,a suitcase can include tracking device components that allow a user totrack and/or locate the suitcase. In some embodiments, a tracking deviceplatform can be established such that devices and objects that satisfyone or more criteria can act as tracking devices within a trackingdevice ecosystem. For instance, a tracking device provider can providean SDK or custom chipset that, when incorporated into an object ordevice, enable the object or device to function as tracking devices, tocommunicate with other devices within the tracking device ecosystem, andto implement the functionalities described herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example tracking system environment in which atracking device can operate, according to one embodiment. Theenvironment of FIG. 1 includes a tracking system 100 communicativelycoupled to a mobile device 102 associated with the user 103 via a firstnetwork 108. The tracking system 100 is also communicatively coupled toa plurality of community mobile devices 104 a through 104 n(collectively referred to herein as “community mobile devices 104”)associated with a plurality of users 105 a through 105 n of the trackingsystem 100 (collectively referred to herein as “community users 105”)via the first network 108. As will be explained in more detail below,the tracking system 100 can allow the user 103 to manage and/or locate atracking device 106 associated with the user 103. In some embodiments,the tracking system 100 leverages the capabilities of community mobiledevices 104 to locate the tracking device 106 if the location of thetracking device is unknown to the user 103 and beyond the capabilitiesof mobile device 102 to track. In some configurations, the user 103 mayown and register multiple tracking devices 106. Although FIG. 1illustrates a particular arrangement of the tracking system 100, mobiledevice 102, community mobile devices 104, and tracking device 106,various additional arrangements are possible.

In some configurations, the user 103 may be part of the community ofusers 105. Further, one or more users 105 may own and register one ormore tracking devices 106. Thus, any one of the users within thecommunity of users 105 can communicate with tracking system 100 andleverage the capabilities of the community of users 105 in addition tothe user 103 to locate a tracking device 106 that has been lost.

The tracking system 100, mobile device 102, and plurality of communitymobile devices 104 may communicate using any communication platforms andtechnologies suitable for transporting data and/or communicationsignals, including known communication technologies, devices, media, andprotocols supportive of remote data communications.

In certain embodiments, the tracking system 100, mobile device 102, andcommunity mobile devices 104 may communicate via a network 108, whichmay include one or more networks, including, but not limited to,wireless networks (e.g., wireless communication networks), mobiletelephone networks (e.g., cellular telephone networks), closedcommunication networks, open communication networks, satellite networks,navigation networks, broadband networks, narrowband networks, theInternet, local area networks, and any other networks capable ofcarrying data and/or communications signals between the tracking system100, mobile device 102, and community mobile devices 104. The mobiledevice 102 and community of mobile devices 104 may also be incommunication with a tracking device 106 via a second network 110. Thesecond network 110 may be a similar or different type of network as thefirst network 108. In some embodiments, the second network 110 comprisesa wireless network with a limited communication range, such as aBluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless network. In someconfigurations, the second network 110 is a point-to-point networkincluding the tracking device 106 and one or more mobile devices thatfall within a proximity of the tracking device 106. In such embodiments,the mobile device 102 and community mobile devices 104 may only be ableto communicate with the tracking device 106 if they are within a closeproximity to the tracking device, though in other embodiments, thetracking device can use long-distance communication functionality (forinstance, a GSM transceiver) to communicate with either a mobile device102/104 or the tracking system 100 at any distance. In someconfigurations, the mobile device 102 and one or more community mobiledevices 104 may each be associated with multiple tracking devicesassociated with various users.

As mentioned above, FIG. 1 illustrates the mobile device 102 associatedwith the user 103. The mobile device 102 can be configured to performone or more functions described herein with respect to locating trackingdevices (e.g., tracking device 106). For example, the mobile device 102can receive input from the user 103 representative of information aboutthe user 103 and information about a tracking device 106. The mobiledevice 102 may then provide the received user information, trackingdevice information, and/or information about the mobile device 102 tothe tracking system 100. Accordingly, the tracking system 100 is able toassociate the mobile device 102, the user 103, and/or the trackingdevice 106 with one another. In some embodiments, the mobile device 102can communicate with the tracking device 106 and provide informationregarding the location of the tracking device to the user 103. Forexample, the mobile device 102 can detect a communication signal fromthe tracking device 106 (e.g., by way of second network 110) as well asa strength of the communication signal or other measure of proximity todetermine an approximate distance between the mobile device 102 and thetracking device 106. The mobile device 102 can then provide thisinformation to the user 103 (e.g., by way of one or more graphical userinterfaces) to assist the user 103 to locate the tracking device 106.Accordingly, the user 103 can use the mobile device 102 to track andlocate the tracking device 106 and a corresponding object associatedwith the tracking device 106. If the mobile device 102 is located beyondthe immediate range of communication with the tracking device 106 (e.g.,beyond the second network 110), the mobile device 102 can be configuredto send an indication that a tracking device 106 is lost to the trackingsystem 100, requesting assistance in finding the tracking device. Themobile device 102 can send an indication of a lost device in response toa command from the user 103. For example, once the user 103 hasdetermined that the tracking device 106 is lost, the user can provideuser input to the mobile device 102 (e.g., by way of a graphical userinterface), requesting that the mobile device 102 send an indicationthat the tracking device 106 is lost to the tracking system 100. In someexamples, the lost indication can include information identifying theuser 103 (e.g., name, username, authentication information), informationassociated with the mobile device 102 (e.g., a mobile phone number),information associated with the tracking device (e.g., a unique trackingdevice identifier), or a location of the user (e.g., a GPS location ofthe mobile device 102 at the time the request is sent).

The tracking system 100 can be configured to provide a number offeatures and services associated with the tracking and management of aplurality of tracking devices and/or users associated with the trackingdevices. For example, the tracking system 100 can manage informationand/or user profiles associated with user 103 and community users 105.In particular, the tracking system 100 can manage information associatedwith the tracking device 106 and/or other tracking devices associatedwith the user 103 and/or the community users 105.

As mentioned above, the tracking system 100 can receive an indicationthat the tracking device 106 is lost from the mobile device 102. Thetracking system 100 can then process the indication in order to help theuser 103 find the tracking device 106. For example, the tracking system100 can leverage the capabilities of the community mobile devices 104 tohelp find the tracking device 106. In particular, the tracking system100 may set a flag for a tracking device 106 to indicate that thetracking device 106 lost and monitor communications received from thecommunity mobile devices 104 indicating the location of one or moretracking devices 106 within proximity of the community mobile devices104. The tracking system 100 can determine whether a specific locationis associated with the lost tracking device 106 and provide any locationupdates associated with the tracking device 106 to the mobile device102. In one example, the tracking system may receive constant updates oftracking device 106 locations regardless of whether a tracking device106 is lost and provide a most recent updated location of the trackingdevice 106 in response to receiving an indication that the trackingdevice 106 is lost.

In some configurations, the tracking system 100 can send a locationrequest associated with the tracking device 106 to each of the communitymobile devices 104. The location request can include any instructionsand/or information necessary for the community mobile devices 106 tofind the tracking device 102. For example, the location request caninclude a unique identifier associated with the tracking device 106 thatcan be used by the community mobile devices 104 to identify the trackingdevice 106. Accordingly, if one of the community mobile devices 104detects a communication from the tracking device 106 (e.g., if thecommunity mobile device 104 is within range or moves within range of thecommunication capabilities of the tracking device 106 and receives asignal from the tracking device 106 including or associated with theunique identifier associated with the tracking device 106), thecommunity mobile device 104 can inform the tracking system 100. Usingthe information received from the community mobile devices 104, thetracking system 100 can inform the user (e.g., by way of the mobiledevice 102) of a potential location of the tracking device 106.

As shown in FIG. 1 and as mentioned above, the tracking system 100 cancommunicate with a plurality of community mobile devices 104 associatedwith corresponding community users 105. For example, an implementationmay include a first community mobile device 104 a associated with afirst community user 105 a, a second community mobile device 104 bassociated with a second community user 105 b, and additionalcommunication mobile devices associated with additional community usersup to an nth community mobile device 104 n associated with an nthcommunity user 105 n. The community mobile devices 104 may also includefunctionality that enables each community mobile device 104 to identifya tracking device 106 within a proximity of the community mobile device104. In one example, a first community mobile device 104 a withinproximity of a tracking device 106 can communicate with the trackingdevice 106, identify the tracking device 106 (e.g., using a uniqueidentifier associated with the tracking device 106), and/or detect alocation associated with the tracking device 106 (e.g., a location ofthe first mobile community device 104 a at the time of the communicationwith the tracking device 106). This information can be used to provideupdated locations and/or respond to a location request from the trackingsystem 100 regarding the tracking device 106. In some embodiments, thesteps performed by the first community mobile device 104 a can be hiddenfrom the first community user 105 a. Accordingly, the first communitymobile device 104 a can assist in locating the tracking device 106without bother and without the knowledge of the first community user 105a.

As mentioned above, the tracking system 100 can assist a user 103 inlocating a tracking device 106. The tracking device may be a chip, tile,tag, or other device for housing circuitry and that may be attached toor enclosed within an object such as a wallet, keys, purse, car, orother object that the user 103 may track. Additionally, the trackingdevice 106 may include a speaker for emitting a sound and/or atransmitter for broadcasting a beacon. In one configuration, thetracking device 106 may periodically transmit a beacon signal that maybe detected using a nearby mobile device 102 and/or community mobiledevice 104. In some configurations, the tracking device 106 broadcasts abeacon at regular intervals (e.g., one second intervals) that may bedetected from a nearby mobile device (e.g., community mobile device104). The strength of the signal emitted from the tracking device 106may be used to determine a degree of proximity to the mobile device 102or community mobile device 104 that detects the signal. For example, ahigher strength signal would indicate a close proximity between thetracking device 106 and the mobile device 102 and a lower strengthsignal would indicate a more remote proximity between the trackingdevice 106 and the mobile device 102, though in some embodiments, thetracking device 106 can intentionally vary the transmission strength ofthe beacon signal. In some cases, the strength of signal or absence of asignal may be used to indicate that a tracking device 106 is lost.

System Overview

FIG. 2 illustrates an example tracking system for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, the trackingsystem 100 may include, but is not limited to, an association manager204, a tracking device location manager 206, a zone manager 207A, anarea manager 207B, and a data manager 208, each of which may be incommunication with one another using any suitable communicationtechnologies. It will be recognized that although managers 204-208 areshown to be separate in FIG. 2, any of the managers 204-208 may becombined into fewer managers, such as into a single manager, or dividedinto more managers as may serve a particular embodiment.

The association manager 204 may be configured to receive, transmit,obtain, and/or update information about a user 103 and/or informationabout one or more specific tracking devices (e.g., tracking device 106).In some configurations, the association manager 204 may associateinformation associated with a user 103 with information associated witha tracking device 106. For example, user information and trackinginformation may be obtained by way of a mobile device 102, and theassociation manager 204 may be used to link the user information andtracking information. The association between user 103 and trackingdevice 106 may be used for authentication purposes, or for storing userinformation, tracking device information, permissions, or otherinformation about a user 103 and/or tracking device 106 in a database.

The tracking system 100 also includes a tracking device location manager206. The tracking device location manager 206 may receive and process anindication that the tracking device 106 is lost from a mobile device(e.g., mobile device 102 or community mobile devices 104). For example,the tracking system 100 may receive a lost indication from a mobiledevice 102 indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. The trackingdevice location manager 206 may set a flag on a database (e.g., trackerdatabase 212) indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. Thetracking device location manager 206 may also query a database todetermine tracking information corresponding to the associated user 103and/or tracking device 106. The tracking system 100 may obtain trackingdevice information and provide the tracking device information or otherinformation associated with the tracking device 106 to a plurality ofcommunity mobile devices 104 to be on alert for the lost or unavailabletracking device 106.

The tracking device location manager 206 may also receive a locationfrom one or more community mobile devices 104 that detect the trackingdevice 106, for instance in response to the community mobile devicereceiving a beacon signal transmitted by the tracking device 106,without the tracking device 106 having been previously marked as lost.In such embodiments, a user corresponding to the mobile device 102 canrequest a most recent location associated with the tracking device fromthe tracking system 100, and the location manager 206 can provide thelocation received from the community mobile device for display by themobile device 102. In some embodiments, the location manager 206provides the location of the tracking device 106 received from acommunity mobile device either automatically (for instance if thetracking device 106 is marked as lost) or at the request of a user ofthe mobile device 102 (for instance, via an application on the mobiledevice 102). The location manager 206 can provide a location of atracking device 106 to a mobile device 102 via a text message, pushnotification, application notification, automated voice message, or anyother suitable form of communication.

The tracking device location manager 206 may further manage providingindications about whether a tracking device 106 is lost or not lost. Forexample, as discussed above, the tracking device location manager 206may provide a location request to the community of mobile devices 104indicating that a tracking device 106 is lost. Additionally, uponlocation of the tracking device 106 by the user 103 or by one of thecommunity of users 105, the tracking device location manager 206 mayprovide an indication to the user 103, community user 105, or trackingsystem 100 that the tracking device 106 has been found, thus removingany flags associated with a tracking device and/or canceling anylocation request previously provided to the community of users 105. Forexample, where a user 103 sends an indication that the tracking device106 is lost to the tracking system 100 and later finds the trackingdevice 106, the mobile device 102 may provide an indication to thetracking system 100 that the tracking device 106 has been found. Inresponse, the tracking device location manager 206 may remove a flagindicating that the tracking device 106 is lost and/or provide anupdated indication to the community of users 105 that the trackingdevice 106 has been found, thus canceling any instructions associatedwith the previously provided location request. In some configurations,the notification that the tracking device 106 has been found may beprovided automatically upon the mobile device 102 detecting the trackingdevice 106 within a proximity of the mobile device 102. Alternatively,the notification that the tracking device 106 has been found may beprovided by the user 103 via user input on the mobile device 102. Inanother example, a known user (e.g., a friend or family member) withwhom the tracking device 106 has been shared may provide an indicationthat the tracking device 106 has been found.

The zone manager 207A generates different types of zones based on alocation dataset for one or more users. After generating a zone, thezone manager 207A stores the zone in the zone database. The generationand functionality of zones is described in further detail below withreference to FIG. 6. As described below, some types of zones (e.g.,smart zones and safe zones) are specific to a user, whereas other typesof zones (e.g., high-risk zones) are applicable to multiple users. Inone embodiment, the zone manager 207A stores user-specific zones in theuser database 210 in association with other data about the user, and thezone manager 207A stores zones that are applicable to multiple users inthe zone database 218. In another embodiment, the zone manager 207Astores every generated zone in the zone database 218, but user-specificzones are stored with an identifier for the associated user.

The area manager 207B generates different types of areas and storesgenerated areas in the area database 220. The generation andfunctionality of areas is described in further detail below withreference to FIG. 7. As described below, areas may be user specific.Thus, similar to user-specific zones, user-specific areas may be storedin in the user database 210 in association with other data about theuser, or they may be stored in the area database 220 with an identifierfor the associated user.

The tracking system 100 additionally includes a data manager 208. Thedata manager 208 may store and manage information associated with users,mobile devices, tracking devices, permissions, location requests, andother data that may be stored and/or maintained in a database related toperforming location services of tracking devices. As shown, the datamanager 208 may include, but is not limited to, a user database 210, atracker database 212, permissions data 214, location request data 216, azone database, and an area database 220. It will be recognized thatalthough databases and data within the data manager 208 are shown to beseparate in FIG. 2, any of the user database 210, tracker database 212,permissions data 214, and location request data 216 may be combined in asingle database or manager, or divided into more databases or managersas may serve a particular embodiment.

The data manager 208 may include the user database 210. The userdatabase 210 may be used to store data related to various users. Forexample, the user database 210 may include data about the user 103 aswell as data about each user 105 in a community of users 105. Thecommunity of users 105 may include any user that has provided userinformation to the tracking system 100 via a mobile device 102, 104 orother electronic device. The user information may be associated with oneor more respective tracking devices 106, or may be stored without anassociation to a particular tracking device. For example, a communityuser 105 may provide user information and permit performance of trackingfunctions on the community mobile device 104 without owning or beingassociated with a tracking device 106. The user database 210 may alsoinclude information about one or more mobile devices or other electronicdevices associated with a particular user.

The data manager 208 may also include a tracker database 212. Thetracker database 212 may be used to store data related to trackingdevices. For example, the tracker database 212 may include tracking datafor any tracking device 106 that has been registered with the trackingsystem 100. Tracking data may include unique tracker identifications(IDs) associated with individual tracking devices 106. Tracker IDs maybe associated with a respective user 103. Tracker IDs may also beassociated with multiple users. Additionally, the tracker database 212may include any flags or other indications associated with whether aspecific tracking device 106 has been indicated as lost and whether anyincoming communications with regard to that tracking device 106 shouldbe processed based on the presence of a flag associated with thetracking device 106.

The data manager 208 may further include permissions data 214 andlocation request data 216. Permissions data 214 may include levels ofpermissions associated with a particular user 103 and/or tracking device106. For example, permissions data 214 may include additional users thathave been indicated as sharing a tracking device 106, or who have beengiven permission to locate or receive a location of a tracking device106. Location request data 216 may include information related to alocation request or a lost indication received from the user 103 via amobile device 102.

The data manger 208 may additionally include a zone database 218 and anarea database 220. As described above, the zone database 218 may storezones generated by the zone manager 207A, and the area database 220 maystore areas generated by the area manager 207B.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user mobile device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, the mobiledevice 102 may include, but is not limited to, a user interface manager302, a location request manager 304, a database manager 306, and atracking manager 308, each of which may be in communication with oneanother using any suitable communication technologies. It will berecognized that although managers 302-308 are shown to be separate inFIG. 3, any of the managers 302-308 may be combined into fewer managers,such as into a single manager, or divided into more managers as mayserve a particular embodiment.

As will be explained in more detail below, the mobile device 102includes the user interface manager 302. The user interface manager 302may facilitate providing the user 103 access to data on a trackingsystem 100 and/or providing data to the tracking system 100. Further,the user interface manager 302 provides a user interface by which theuser 103 may communicate with tracking system 100 and/or tracking device106 via mobile device 102.

The mobile device 102 may also include a location request manager 304.The location request manager 304 may receive and process a request inputto the mobile device 102 to send an indication that a tracking device106 is lost to a tracking system 100. For example, the user 103 mayprovide an indication that a tracking device 106 is lost, unreachable,or otherwise unavailable from the mobile device 102 via the userinterface manager 302, and the location request manager 304 may processthe lost indication and provide any necessary data to the trackingsystem 100 for processing and relaying a location request to other users105 over a network 108. In some configurations, an indication that atracking device 106 is lost is provided via user input. Alternatively,the indication may be transmitted automatically in response to themobile device 102 determining that a tracking device 106 is lost.

In addition, the location request manager 304 can request a location ofthe tracking device 106 without the tracking device 106 being identifiedas lost. For instance, a user can access a tracking device locationfeature of an application running on the mobile device 102 (for example,via the user interface manager 302), and the location request manager304 can request a most recent location of the tracking device 106 fromthe tracking system 100. The location request manager 304 can receivethe most recent location from the tracking system 100, and can displaythe most recent location via the user interface manager 302.

The mobile device 102 may also include a database manager 306. Thedatabase manager 306 may maintain data related to the user 103, trackingdevice 106, permissions, or other data that may be used for locating atracking device 106 and/or providing a request to a tracking system 100for locating one or more tracking devices 106 associated with the user103. Further, the database manager 306 may maintain any information thatmay be accessed using any other manager on the mobile device 102.

The mobile device 102 may further include a tracking manager 308. Thetracking manager 308 may include a tracking application (e.g., asoftware application) for communicating with and locating a trackingdevice 106 associated with the user 103. For example, the trackingmanager 308 may be one configuration of a tracking application installedon the mobile device 102 that provides the functionality for locating atracking device 106 and/or requesting location of a tracking device 106using a tracking system 100 and/or a plurality of community mobiledevices 104. As shown, the tracking manager 308 may include, but is notlimited to, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) manager 310, a persistencemanager 312, a local files manager 314, a motion manager 316, a securestorage manager 318, a settings manager 320, a location manager 322, anetwork manager 324, a notification manager 326, a sound manager 328, afriends manager 330, a photo manager 332, an authentication manager 334,and a device manager 336. Thus, the tracking manager 308 may perform anyof the functions associated with managers 310-338, described inadditional detail below.

The BLE manager 310 may be used to manage communication with one or moretracking devices 106. The persistence manager 312 may be used to storelogical schema information that is relevant to the tracking manager 308.The local files manager 314 may be responsible for managing all filesthat are input or output from the mobile device 102. The motion manager316 may be responsible for all motion management required by thetracking manager 308. The secure storage manager may be responsible forstorage of secure data, including information such as passwords andprivate data that would be accessed through this sub-system. Thesettings manager 320 may be responsible for managing settings used bythe tracking manager 308. Such settings may be user controlled (e.g.,user settings) or defined by the tracking manager 308 for internal use(e.g., application settings) by a mobile device 102 and/or the trackingsystem 100. The location manager 322 may be responsible for all locationtracking done by the tracking manager 308. For example, the locationmanager 322 may manage access to the location services of the mobiledevice 102 and works in conjunction with other managers to persist data.The network manager 324 may be responsible for all Internetcommunications from the tracking manager 308. For example, the networkmanager 324 may mediate all Internet API calls for the tracking manager308. The notification manager 326 may be responsible for managing localand push notifications required by the tracking manager 308. The soundmanager 328 may be responsible for playback of audio cues by thetracking manager 308. The friends manager 330 may be responsible formanaging access to contacts and the user's social graph. The photomanager 332 may be responsible for capturing and managing photos used bythe tracking manager 308. The authentication manager 334 may beresponsible for handling the authentication (e.g., sign in or login) ofusers. The authentication manager 334 may also include registration(e.g., sign up) functionality. The authentication manager 334 furthercoordinates with other managers to achieve registration functionality.The device manager 336 may be responsible for managing the devicesdiscovered by the tracking manager 308. The device manager 336 mayfurther store and/or maintain the logic for algorithms related to devicediscovery and update.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example community mobile device for use in atracking system environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, thecommunity mobile device 104 may include, but is not limited to, a userinterface manager 402, a tracking device manager 404, a database manager406, and a tracking manager 408, each of which may be in communicationwith one another using any suitable communication technologies. The userinterface manager 402, database manager 406, and tracking manager 408illustrated in FIG. 4 may include similar features and functionality asthe user interface manager 302, database manager 306, and trackingmanager 308 described above in connection with FIG. 3. It will berecognized that although managers 402-408 are shown to be separate inFIG. 4, any of the managers 402-408 may be combined into fewer managers,such as into a single manager, or divided into more managers as mayserve a particular embodiment.

The community mobile device 104 may include a tracking device manager404. The tracking device manager 404 may facilitate scanning for nearbytracking devices 106. In some configurations, the tracking devicemanager 404 can continuously or periodically scan (e.g., once persecond) for nearby tracking devices 106. The tracking device manager 404may determine whether to provide an updated location of the nearbytracking device 106 to the tracking system 100. In some configurations,the tracking device manager 404 provides a location of a nearby trackingdevice 106 automatically. Alternatively, the tracking device manager 404may determine whether the location of the tracking device 106 has beenrecently updated, and may determine whether to provide an updatedlocation based on the last time a location of the tracking device 106has been updated (e.g., by the community mobile device 104). Forexample, where the community mobile device 104 has provided a recentupdate of the location of a tracking device 106, the tracking devicemanager 404 may decide to wait a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5minutes) before providing an updated location of the same trackingdevice 106.

In one configuration, the tracking device manager 404 may receive andprocess a location request or other information relayed to the communitymobile device 104 by the tracking system 100. For example, the trackingdevice manager 404 may receive an indication of a tracking device 106that has been indicated as lost, and provide a location of the trackingdevice 106 if it comes within proximity of the community mobile device104. In some configurations, the community mobile device 104 isconstantly scanning nearby areas to determine if there is a trackingdevice 106 within a proximity of the community mobile device 104.Therefore, where a tracking device 106 that matches information providedby the tracking system 100 (e.g., from the location request) comeswithin proximity of the community mobile device 104, the tracking devicemanager 404 may generate and transmit a response to the location requestto the tracking system 100, which may be provided to the user 103associated with the tracking device 106. Further, generating andtransmitting the response to the tracking request may be conditioned onthe status of the tracking device 106 being flagged as lost by themobile device 102 and/or the tracking system 100.

The tracking device manager 404 may additionally provide otherinformation to the tracking system 100 in response to receiving thetracking request. For example, in addition to providing a location ofthe community mobile device 104, the tracking device manager may providea signal strength associated with the location to indicate a level ofproximity to the location of the community mobile device 104 provided tothe user 103. For example, if a signal strength is high, the locationprovided to the user 103 is likely to be more accurate than a locationaccompanied by a low signal strength. This may provide additionalinformation that the user 103 may find useful in determining the preciselocation of tracking device 106.

As described above, the tracking device manager 404 may determinewhether to send a location within the proximity of the tracking device106 to the tracking system 100. The determination of whether to send alocation to the tracking system 100 may be based on a variety offactors. For example, a tracking device manager 404 may determine tosend a location of the tracking device 106 to a tracking system 100based on whether the detected tracking device 106 has been indicated aslost or if a tracking request has been provided to the community mobiledevice 104 for the particular tracking device 106. In someconfigurations, the community mobile device 104 may send an update of alocation of a tracking device 106 even if the tracking device 106 is notassociated with a current tracking request or if the tracking device 106is not indicated as lost. For example, where the location of a trackingdevice 106 has not been updated for a predetermined period of time, thecommunity mobile device 104 may provide an update of a tracking devicelocation to the tracking system 100, regardless of whether a trackingrequest has been received.

In some configurations, the community mobile device 104 may includeadditional features. For example, the community mobile device 104 mayallow a tracking system 100 to snap and download a photo using photofunctionality of the community mobile device 104. In someconfigurations, this may be an opt-in feature by which a community user105 permits a tracking system 100 to take a snap-shot and possiblyprovide a visual image of an area within a proximity of the trackingdevice 106.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example tracking device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. The tracking device 106of FIG. 5 includes an interface 502, a transceiver 504, a controller506, one or more sensors 508, and a GPS unit 510. The transceiver 504 isa hardware circuit capable of both transmitting and receiving signals.It should be noted that in other embodiments, the tracking device 106includes fewer, additional, or different components than thoseillustrated in FIG. 5. For instance, tracking devices might not includethe GPS unit 510 and can still implement the functionalities describedherein.

The interface 502 provides a communicative interface between thetracking device 106 and one or more other devices, such as a mobiledevice 102. For instance, the interface 502 can instruct the transceiver504 to output beacon signals as described above (for example,periodically or in response to a triggering event, such as a detectedmovement of the tracking device 106). The interface 502 can, in responseto the receiving of signals by the transceiver 504 from, for instance,the mobile device 102, manage a pairing protocol to establish acommunicative connection between the tracking device 106 and the mobiledevice 102. As noted above, the pairing protocol can be a BLEconnection, though in other embodiments, the interface 502 can manageother suitable wireless connection protocols (such as WiFi, GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications or GSM, and the like).

The controller 506 is a hardware chip that configures the trackingdevice 106 to perform one or more functions or to operate in one oroperating modes or states. For instance, the controller 506 canconfigure the interval at which the transceiver broadcasts beaconsignals, can authorize or prevent particular devices from pairing withthe tracking device 106 based on information received from the devicesand permissions stored at the tracking device, can increase or decreasethe transmission strength of signals broadcasted by the transceiver, canconfigure the interface to emit a ringtone or flash an LED light, canenable or disable various tracking device sensors, can enable or disablea tracking device GPS unit, can enable or disable communicativefunctionality of the tracking device 106 (such as a GSM transmitter andreceiving), can configure the tracking device into a sleep mode or awakemode, can configure the tracking device into a power saving mode, andthe like. The controller 506 can configure the tracking device toperform functions or to operate in a particular operating mode based oninformation or signals received from a device paired with or attemptingto pair with the tracking device 106, based on an operating state orconnection state of the tracking device 106, based on user-selectedsettings, based on information stored at the tracking device 106, basedon a detected location of the tracking device 106, based on historicalbehavior of the tracking device 106 (such as a previous length of timethe tracking device was configured to operate in a particular mode),based on information received from the sensors 508 or the GPS 510, orbased on any other suitable criteria.

The sensors 508 can include motion sensors (such as gyroscopes oraccelerators), altimeters, orientation sensors, proximity sensors, lightsensors, or any other suitable sensor configured to detect anenvironment of the tracking device 106, a state of the tracking device106, a movement or location of the tracking device 106, and the like.The sensors 508 are configured to provide information detected by thesensors to the controller 506. The GPS unit 510 is configured to detecta location of the tracking device 106 based on received GPS signals, andis configured to provide detected locations to the controller 506.

Modification of Tracking Behavior Based on Presence in Zones or Areas

FIG. 6 illustrates a plurality of zones 602, 604, 606 with associatedbehavior profiles that can affect the behavior of a tracking device oran associated mobile device, according to one embodiment. As referred toherein, a zone is a location in which an attached object has an expectedbehavior or a higher- or lower-than average probability of being lost ormisplaced. An attached object refers to an object to which a trackingdevice 106 is attached. For example, an attached object may be apersonal belonging that the user typically carries around with him orher, such as a set of keys, a portable electronic device (e.g., asmartphone, tablet computer, or laptop computer), a purse, or a wallet.An attached object may also be a personal belonging that is notnecessarily carried around by the user on a day-to-day basis, such as aremote control or a pet. For clarity of description, the term “personalbelonging” is used throughout this disclosure; when this term is used,it should be understood to refer to an object with a tracking device 106attached to it.

Examples of three different types of zones 602, 604, 606 are illustratedin FIG. 6. A first type of zone is a safe zone 602. A safe zone is alocation in which a user's probability of losing or misplacing apersonal belonging is lower than average. For example, a user's home,workplace, or school may be designated as safe zones. In the exampleshown in FIG. 6, the user's house has been designated as a safe zone602.

When one or more the user, the tracking device, or the mobile device arepresent in a safe zone 602 (e.g., as indicated by location trackingfeatures of the mobile device 102), the behavior or configuration of theuser's mobile device 102 and tracking device 106 may be modified toreflect a lower probability of losing personal belongings. For instance,after detecting the user's presence in safe zone 602, the mobile device102 may automatically configure itself to scan for tracking device 106less frequently. The mobile device 106 may also configure an attachedtracking device 106 to enable power conservation features, such asreducing the power and frequency of the beacon signal transmitted by thetracking device 106, reducing the frequency at which the tracking device106 automatically transitions from sleep mode to awake mode, or reducingthe volume of a speaker of the tracking device 106. The modification ofthe behavior or configuration of a mobile device or tracking device whenlocated within a safe zone is referred to herein as operation in a “safezone mode”.

A second type of zone is a smart zone 604. A smart zone 604 is alocation in which a user and his or her personal belongings are expectedto behave in a particular way. More particularly, a smart zone is alocation in which the separation distance between the mobile device 102(which is presumed to represent the location of the user) and a trackingdevice 106 (which is presumed to represent the location of one of theuser's personal belongings) is expected to follow a particular pattern.For example, while the user is in a restaurant, the user may leave hisor her belongings at the table when the user gets up to use the restroomor speak to a waiter. Thus, in a restaurant, a temporary increase in theseparation distance between the mobile device and a tracking device islikely to be the result of normal user behavior rather than anindication that the user has lost or misplaced the object attached tothe tracking device.

A smart zone 604 may be associated with a behavior profile thatspecifies parameters governing the operation of the tracking device 106and the associated features of the mobile device 102 when the user ispresent in the corresponding smart zone 604. One parameter in thebehavior profile can be, for example, the delay between detecting adisconnection of the tracking device 106 and providing a notification onthe mobile device 102 that the tracking device 106 has been disconnected(hereinafter referred to as a notification delay time). Anotherparameter may be the threshold separation distance between the trackingdevice 106 and the mobile device 102 that causes the mobile device 102to provide a notification to the user. For example, the mobile device102 may determine a separation distance between the mobile device 102and the tracking device 106 based on a strength of a signal receivedfrom the tracking device 106, and if the separation distance exceeds thethreshold, then the mobile device 102 provides a notification to theuser in the event that the user has left the attached object behind.

Parameters specified in a behavior profile may further includeparameters governing the intensity of a notification provided by themobile device 102 or the intensity of an alert provided by the trackingdevice 106. For example, the parameters may define various aspects ofhow a notification is provided on the mobile device 102, such as thevolume of an audio alert, the intensity or pattern of a vibration, orwhether to play an audio alert, a vibration, or both. Similarly, theparameters may define aspects of how the tracking device 106 provides analert. For instance, a parameter may define the volume of an audio alertthat the tracking device 106 plays back on a built-in speaker. Asanother example, the tracking device 106 may provide a visual alert bycausing a light on the tracking device 106 to blink, and parameters maydefine the frequency or brightness of the visual alert.

A behavior profile may also include parameters for power conservationfeatures of the tracking device 106, such as the power and frequency ofthe beacon signal transmitted by the tracking device 10, the frequencyat which the tracking device 106 automatically transitions from sleepmode to awake mode, or the volume of a speaker of the tracking device106. The behavior profile may also include parameters for features ofthe mobile device 102 or community mobile devices 104 in the smart zone,such as the frequency at which devices 102, 104 in the smart zone scanfor nearby tracking devices 106, or whether to activate a search partyfunction (e.g., configure community mobile devices 104 in the smart zoneto scan for tracking devices 106 more frequently when a tracking device106 is reported lost in the smart zone).

In one embodiment, the behavior profile for a smart zone is stored onthe tracking system 100 (e.g., in association with the smart zone in thezone database 218, or in association with the user and the smart zone inthe user database 210). Behavior profiles may additionally oralternatively be stored on the user's mobile device 102. For example,behavior profiles are stored on the tracking system 110, and the mobiledevice 102 maintains a cache containing copies of behavior profiles andassociated smart zones for locations that the user frequently visits(e.g., more than a threshold number of times in a trailing time period,such as the preceding week or month).

A smart zone 604 may also be associated with a category representing thetype of real-world location corresponding to the smart zone 604 (e.g., arestaurant, gym, church, etc.). For example, the smart zone 604A iscategorized as a restaurant smart zone, and the smart zone 604B iscategorized as a gym smart zone. An example process for generating smartzones and assigning categories to smart zones is described below withreference to FIG. 7A.

Each smart zone category may be associated with a behavior profilespecifying parameters that reflect the expected behavior of users,mobile devices, or tracking devices in the corresponding type oflocation. For example, a restaurant behavior profile (e.g., for therestaurant smart zone 604A) specifies a notification delay time thatrelatively short, but greater than 0 minutes (e.g., between 15 and 30minutes) as long as the location of the mobile device 102 remains insidethe restaurant smart zone. As noted above, when dining at a restaurant,it is common for a user to leave his or her belongings at the table forshort periods of time in order to use the restroom, visit a buffet, orspeak to a waiter. Thus, a short but nonzero notification delay time ina restaurant smart zone prevents the mobile device 102 from providingunnecessary notifications that a tracking device 106 may have been lostwhen the user has simply left the table for a short period of time.

In one embodiment, the delay time for every restaurant is the samedefault value (e.g., between 15 and 30 minutes). In some embodiments,the delay time for a particular restaurant smart zone can be generated(or adjusted from the default value) based on tracking device datareceived from a plurality of users who have visited the restaurant. Inone embodiment, the tracking system 100 computes an averagedisconnect-to-reconnect time for tracking devices 106 in the restaurant(e.g., an average length of time between a tracking device 106disconnecting from a mobile device 102 and the tracking device 106reconnecting to the mobile device) and generates the delay time for therestaurant smart zone based on the average disconnect-to-reconnect time(e.g., by multiplying the disconnect-to-reconnect time by apredetermined scale factor, such as 2.0). Because the averagedisconnect-to-reconnect time can represent the average time a userleaves the table, this method of generating the delay time canadvantageously account for differences in user behavior betweendifferent restaurants. For example, users may leave their tables forlonger periods of time at a buffet restaurant than at a restaurant withtable service, and generating the delay time in this manner can accountfor such differences in behavior.

As another example, a gym behavior profile (e.g., for the gym smart zone604B) specifies a relatively long notification delay time (e.g., 2hours) to reflect the tendency of people to leave their personalbelongings in a locker or in their car before operating exerciseequipment in the gym. Thus, if a user brings his or her mobile device102 into the gym (e.g., to listen to music while operating exerciseequipment), a tracking device 106 attached to a personal belonging leftin a car or locker is likely to become disconnected for the duration ofthe user's workout. Similar to the restaurant example provided above,the delay time for a particular restaurant gym zone can be generated (oradjusted from a default value) based on tracking device data receivedfrom a plurality of users who have visited the gym.

As a third example, a church behavior profile specifies a notificationdelay time of 0 minutes (i.e., a notification is provided on the mobiledevice 102 as soon as a tracking device 106 has been disconnected)because it is relatively uncommon for people attending church servicesto become separated from their personal belongings. To reduce disruptionto church services, a church behavior profile may further specify lowerintensity values for the notification provided by the mobile device 102(e.g., lower audio volume, lower vibration intensity, shorter vibrationlength, or generating a vibration in place of an audio alert) or theintensity of an alert provided by the tracking device 106 (e.g., a lowervolume for an audio alert that the tracking device 106 plays back on abuilt-in speaker) upon detecting that the tracking device 106 has beendisconnected.

In each of the example smart zones described above, the mobile device102 may be configured to immediately display a notification to the userif the mobile device 102 leaves the smart zone while a tracking device106 is disconnected, even if the notification delay time has notelapsed, because this means the user has departed from the smart zoneand has left a personal belonging behind. For example, if a mobiledevice 102 leaves the gym smart zone 604B after 15 minutes and thetracking device 106 attached to the user's house keys is not connectedto the mobile device 102, then the mobile device 102 displays anotification even though the 2-hour delay period has not elapsed. Themodification of the behavior or configuration of a mobile device ortracking device when located in a smart zone is referred to herein asoperation in a “smart zone mode”.

The tracking system 100 may also maintain an unclassified behaviorprofile that the tracking system 100 assigns to smart zones that are notassociated with a category or to smart zones that are associated to acategory that does not have a category-specific behavior profile. Theunclassified behavior profile may specify a default notification delaytime (e.g., 1 hour) but may also be configured to immediately display anotification to the user if the mobile device 102 leaves the smart zonewhile a tracking device 106 is disconnected.

A third type of zone is a high-risk zone 606. A high risk zone is alocation in which a user has a higher-than-average probability of losinga personal belonging, such as an airport, train station, a concertvenue, a sporting event, public transit, a store or other place ofbusiness, or a shopping mall. Similar to smart zones 604, a high-riskzone 606 may also be associated with a behavior profile that specifiesparameters governing the operation of the tracking device 106 and theassociated features of the mobile device 102 when the user is present inthe corresponding high-risk zone 606. In general, a behavior profile fora high-risk zone may provide for more aggressive notifications, such asa shorter notification delay time (or a notification delay time of 0minutes), higher-intensity notifications on the mobile device, greatertransmission range for communications from the tracking device, agreater frequency of communications from the tracking device, andhigher-intensity alerts on the tracking device.

High-risk zones can also be associated with a category representing areal world location, and each category can also be associated with abehavior profile specifying parameters that reflect the expected usersin the corresponding type of location. For example, the high-risk zone606 in FIG. 6 is an airport high-risk zone, and the tracking system 100can define an airport behavior profile. In one embodiment, an airportbehavior profile specifies a notification delay time of 0 minutes sothat the mobile device 102 provides a notification as soon as a trackingdevice 106 is disconnected behavior of. Although this carries a risk ofproviding false positive notifications (i.e., providing a notificationin a situation where a personal belonging has not actually been lost),the difficulty of recovering a lost item in an airport may be greatenough to outweigh the inconvenience of providing false-positivenotifications. An airport behavior profile may also specify a higherintensity for notifications provided on the mobile device 102 (e.g.,higher volume, longer or more intense vibrations, a combination ofvibration and audio alert) and for alerts provided on the trackingdevice 106 (e.g., a higher volume for audio alerts). An airport behaviorprofile may also configure the user's mobile device 102 to provide anotification when the separation distance of a tracking device 106exceeds a threshold separation distance, such as 50 feet. This may beuseful, for example, to alert the user when the user has left an itembehind at a security checkpoint.

As another example, a behavior profile for a shopping mall may specifyparameters that are more aggressive than average but less aggressivethan an airport behavior profile because it is typically easier torecover lost personal belongings in a shopping mall than in an airport.For example, a shopping mall behavior profile may specify a notificationdelay time that is longer than 0 minutes but still relatively short(e.g., 5 to 10 minutes). The modification of the behavior orconfiguration of a mobile device or tracking device when present in ahigh risk zone is referred to herein as operation in a “high risk mode”.

In some embodiments, different types of zones 602, 604, 606 can overlap.For example, a smart zone associated with a restaurant inside an airportterminal may overlap with a high-risk zone associated with the airport.As another, a safe zone associated with a user's home may overlap with ahigh-risk zone associated with an airport if the user lives near theairport. In one embodiment, a behavior profile associated with a safezone is given higher priority than a behavior profile associated with asmart zone, which in turn is given higher priority than a behaviorprofile associated with a high-risk zone. Thus, if the mobile device 102is in a location where a safe zone overlaps with a smart zone or ahigh-risk zone, the mobile device 102 and connected tracking device 106are configured according to the behavior profile for the safe zone.Similarly, if the mobile device 102 is in a location where a smart zoneoverlaps with a high-risk zone, the mobile device 102 and connectedtracking device 106 are configured according to the behavior profile forthe smart zone.

In some embodiments, a tracking device or a mobile device, onceconfigured to operate in a special mode described herein (such as a safezone mode, a smart zone mode, or a high risk mode), can be configured tooperate in the special mode until the passage of a threshold amount oftime. In other embodiments, the tracking device or mobile device can beconfigured to operate in the special mode until the central trackingsystem provides an instruction to operate in a different mode, until thetracking device or mobile device moves out of a corresponding zone),until the tracking device or mobile device detects movement of any kind(for instance, using an accelerometer or other motion-detectioncomponent), or based on any other suitable criteria being satisfied.

It should be noted that geographic boundaries associated with each typeof zone described herein (safe zones, smart zones, and high risk zones,in addition to types of areas) can be defined based on a number ofcriteria. In some embodiments, the geographic boundaries are retrievedfrom an external source, for instance a database of property lines,boundaries from a map database, a location database maintained by thecentral tracking system, and the like. For example, for an airport highrisk zone, the geographic boundaries can be the boundaries of theairport as defined by Google Maps. In other embodiments, the boundariescan be determined based on historical location data retrieved from apopulation of tracking devices, based on historical location data for aparticular tracking device, or can be user-defined.

FIG. 7 illustrates a plurality of areas that each contain a plurality ofzones, according to one embodiment. As referred to herein, an area is aregion in which is user is expected to be located for a given timeperiod. The example shown in FIG. 7 includes two different types ofareas: a home area 700 and a travel area 710.

A home area 700 is a geographic region in which the user resides. Thetracking system 100 may generate the home area 700 for a user by drawinga circle of a predetermined radius (e.g., 50 miles) (or some other shapewith predetermined dimensions) centered on the location of the user'shome. In other embodiments, the home area 700 can be defined by thegeographic boundary around the city, town, or neighborhood in which theuser lives, or can be defined by the user. The user's home location maybe provided as user input by the user, or the tracking system 100 mayidentify the user's home location by analyzing a location dataset forthe user in the manner described below with reference to FIG. 8.

A travel area 710 is a geographic region in which the user is traveling.The tracking system 100 may generate a travel area 710 for a user basedon the behavior of the user in a transit-related high-risk zone such asan airport, train station, or bus terminal. For example, if locationinformation for the user (e.g., as recorded by the user's mobile device102) indicates that the user has entered and then exited atransit-related high-risk zone outside of his or her home area 700, thenthe tracking system 100 generates a travel zone by drawing a circle of apredetermined radius (e.g., 50 miles) (or some other shape withpredetermined dimensions) centered on the high-risk zone. The trackingsystem 100 may also generate a travel area based on the user's behaviorat night when the user is outside of his or her home area. For example,if location information for the user indicates that the user's locationremained stationary at a location associated with a hotel, then thetracking system generates a travel zone centered on the hotel. Thismethod of generating a travel zone is advantageous, for example, becauseit can detect travel, such as a road trip, that does not involve passingthrough a transit-related high-risk zone such as an airport or trainstation. In an alternative embodiment, the tracking system 100designates any geographic region beyond the user's home area as a travelarea.

Each area is associated with a loss probability representing an overallprobability that the user will lose a personal belonging while presentin the area or an overall difficulty of recovering a personal belongingthat has been lost in the area. In one embodiment, the tracking system100 generates the loss probability when generating the area. The lossprobability can be generated based on the type of area with which theloss probability is associated (e.g., a lower loss probability isgenerated for a home area than for a travel area). The loss probabilitycan also be based on other factors, such as the number of trackingdevices 106 that were reported to the tracking system 100 as lost in thearea in a preceding time period (e.g., the preceding 60 days).

When a user is present in an area, the tracking system 100 can configurethe user's mobile device 102 and tracking device 106 based on the lossprobability associated with the area. In one embodiment, the lossprobability is stored as a loss coefficient (e.g., a coefficient greaterthan 1.0 represents a higher-than-average loss probability and acoefficient less than 1.0 represents a lower-than-average lossprobability), and parameters of behavior profiles for smart zones andhigh-risk zones inside the area are scaled by the loss coefficient. Forexample, the travel area 710 shown in FIG. 7 has a loss coefficient of1.25 to reflect that fact that it is generally more difficult to recovera personal belonging that has been lost while the user is traveling. Asa result, the tracking system 100 scales the parameters of the behaviorprofiles for smart zones in the travel area 710 by the loss coefficient.For example, the notification delay times for the two restaurant smartzones in the travel area are reduced by a factor of 1.25 (i.e., dividedby 1.25) to provide for prompter notifications when a tracking device106 is disconnected. Similarly, the intensity of notifications (e.g.,the volume of an audio alert or the intensity or duration of a vibrationalert) is increased by a factor of 1.25 to provide for more intensenotifications within the travel area 710.

The tracking system 100 can also use the loss coefficient to modify theoperation of the mobile device 102 and tracking device 106 independentof a behavior profile. For example, the default intensity ofnotifications provided on the mobile device 102 or alerts on thetracking device 106 is scaled by the loss coefficient when the user ispresent in the travel area 110. As another example, the intensity orfrequency of the beacon signal broadcast by the tracking device 106 isscaled by the loss coefficient when the user is present in the travelarea 110.

The tracking system 100 can also adjust other features of the trackingsystem 100, mobile device 102, or tracking device 106 based on theuser's presence in an area. For example, if the user's mobile device 102leaves the travel area 710 (e.g., when the user returns home from avacation) but one of the user's tracking device 106 remains inside thetravel area, then the tracking system 100 automatically designates thetracking device 106 as lost without receive a lost indication. Incontrast, if the user's mobile device 102 leaves the home area 700(e.g., when the user leaves home to go on a vacation) but one of theuser's tracking device 106 remains inside the home area, then thetracking system 100 does not automatically designate the tracking device106 as lost. Instead, the mobile device 102 may provide a notificationto the user to alert the user that the object attached to the trackingdevice 106 has been left behind.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a process 800 for generating zones,according to one embodiment. In other embodiments, the process 800 mayinclude additional steps not shown in FIG. 8, and some of the steps inthe process 800 may be omitted or performed in a different order.Although the description provided with reference to FIG. 8 states thatthe process 800 is performed on the tracking system 100, some or all ofthe steps in the process may alternatively be performed on the mobiledevice 102.

The tracking system 100 receives 810 a location dataset for the user. Alocation dataset comprises a set of timestamped locations representingthe places where the user has traveled during a trailing time window(e.g., the preceding 30 days or the preceding 60 days). As referred toherein, a location point is a single timestamped location (e.g., alatitude-longitude coordinate pair associated with a date and time), andthe location dataset comprises a plurality of location points. In oneembodiment, the location points are recorded by the user's mobile device102 and sent to the tracking system 100. For example, a user's mobiledevice 102 is configured to periodically record the location of themobile device 102 as indicated by a location tracking function on themobile device 102 (e.g., a GPS receiver on the mobile device 102), andthis location is presumed to represent the user. In one embodiment, themobile device 102 provide privacy settings that allow the user toprevent the mobile device 102 from recording location points and/orsending the location points to the tracking system.

The tracking system 100 generates 812 safe zones by identifying thedensest locations in the location dataset. In some embodiments, thetracking system 100 identifies the densest locations in the locationdataset based on a clustering algorithm that groups densely connectedlocation points into clusters. The tracking system 100 may perform theclustering algorithm on the entire location dataset or on a subset ofthe location points in the location dataset, such as the subset oflocation points in a shorter trailing time window. For example, thetracking system maintains a location dataset that includes locationpoints from the preceding 60 days, and the clustering algorithm isperformed on the location points from the preceding 30 days. Thetracking 100 may also perform one or more data preprocessing andfiltering steps on the location points before performing the clusteringalgorithm. For example, the tracking system 100 applies an accuracyfilter to the location points to remove location points whose accuracyis less than a threshold (e.g., removing location points whose error isgreater than ±65 meters).

The clustering algorithm may be configured to identify clusters thatinclude a number of location points exceeding a clustering threshold,whereas groups that include a number of location points below theclustering threshold are not grouped into clusters and are insteadidentified as outliers. For example, the clustering threshold may be setto 50 location points, which means groups containing more 50 or morelocation points are joined into a cluster, whereas location points ingroups containing fewer than 50 location points are identified asoutliers. As another example, the clustering threshold may be set to 20location points. In one embodiment, the clustering algorithm is adensity-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN)algorithm.

After identifying the clusters, the tracking system 100 generates 812safe zones at some or all of the clusters. In one embodiment, thetracking system 100 generates 812 a safe zone at each cluster identifiedby the clustering algorithm. In another embodiment, the tracking system100 selects a subset of the clusters and generates 812 a safe zone ateach selected cluster. For example, the tracking system 100 assigns adensity value to each cluster (e.g., the density value may be the numberof location points in the cluster). The tracking system 100 may thenrank the clusters according to their density values and select theclusters whose ranking exceeds a threshold ranking (e.g., the fivedensest clusters) or select the clusters whose density value exceeds athreshold density value (e.g., the clusters having density valueexceeding 75 location points). It should be noted that in someembodiments, safe zones are user defined, while in other embodiments,candidate safe zones are presented to a user for confirmation as safezones. For instance, the tracking system 100 can generate a set ofcandidate safe zones based on the identified clusters, can suggest thata user affirmatively select one or more of the set of candidate safezones, and can limit the generate safe zones to the selected candidatesafe zones.

After generating 812 the safe zones, the tracking system 100 cancategorize the safe zones. In one embodiment, the tracking system 100categorizes a safe zone based on the timestamps of the location pointsin the safe zone. For example, a user's location tends to be the same asthe location of his or her home between 12 AM and 6 AM (i.e., when theuser is sleeping). Thus, if the timestamps of the location points in aparticular safe zone include a large number of timestamps between 12 AMand 6 AM, then the safe zone may be categorized as the user's home safezone. Similarly, a user's location tends to be the same as the locationof his or her workplace between 9 AM and 5 PM, so if the timestamps ofthe location points in a particular safe zone include a large number oftimestamps between those hours, then the safe zone may be categorized asthe user's workplace safe zone.

The tracking system 100 identifies 814 high-risk zones in the region. Asnoted above, high-risk zones can be applicable to multiple users,whereas smart zones and safe zones may be specific to a single user. Asa result, high-risk zones may be generated in a process independent ofthe process 800 shown in FIG. 8. In one embodiment, the processdetermines whether to identify a location based on the number of lostindications received at a location, the number of found indicationsreceived at the same location, and whether publicly available locationor map data indicates that the location has a category that is part of apredetermined list of high-risk categories maintained on the trackingsystem 100 (e.g., an airport, helipad, airbase, train station, busterminal, concert venue, shopping mall, etc.). For example, the processcomputes a found-to-lost ratio representing the ratio of foundindications to lost indications at a location. If the ratio is less thana threshold (e.g., there are relatively few found indications relativeto lost indications at the location), then the process determineswhether the location has a high-risk category. If the location has botha ratio below the threshold and a high-risk category, then the trackingsystem 100 generates a high-risk zone at the location.

The tracking system 100 generates 816 smart zones by identifying denselocations in the location dataset and filtering out the high-risk zonesand the safe zones. In one embodiment, the tracking system 100 performsthe clustering algorithm a second time, but with a lower clusteringthreshold (e.g., the clustering threshold is set to 50 to generate 812save zones and set to 20 to generate 816 smart zones), and then removesany clusters that have already been used to generate safe zones and anyclusters at locations where a high-risk zone has been generated. Thetracking system 100 then generates 816 smart zones at the clusters thatwere not removed.

In addition to a different clustering threshold, the tracking system 100may also run the clustering algorithm on a different subset of thelocation dataset when generating 816 the smart zones. For example, thetracking system 100 provides location points from the preceding 30 daysas input to the clustering algorithm when generating 812 the safe zonesand provides location points from the preceding 60 days as input to theclustering algorithm when generating 816 the smart zones. The trackingsystem 100 may additionally perform one or more data preprocessing andfiltering steps on the location points (e.g., removing location pointswhose accuracy is lower than a threshold) before performing theclustering algorithm to generate 816 the smart zones.

After generating 816 the smart zones, the tracking system 100 mayclassify some or all of the smart zones with a smart zone category(e.g., the restaurant smart zone, gym smart zone, and church smart zoneas described above with reference to FIG. 6). For example, the trackingsystem 100 receives information about the location of the smart zonefrom a map database (e.g., via a call to the GOOGLE PLACES API) andclassifies the smart zone based on the location information.

The tracking system 100 also generates a boundary for each smart zone.The boundary for a smart zone can be generated, for example, based onthe locations of location points in the cluster (e.g., the boundarycovers a larger area if the location points are farther apart from eachother), a predetermined radius (e.g., the boundary is a circle with thepredetermined radius and centered on the center of the cluster),property data (e.g., boundaries of the plot of land containing thelocation, according to map data), or an analysis of past users' behaviorin at the location (e.g., the average amount of movement of users withinthe location, the average rate at which users enter and leave thelocation, etc.). In one embodiment, the tracking system 100 stores theboundary as a geofence. The tracking system 100 can also perform asimilar process to generate boundaries for the safe zones generated 812by the tracking system 100.

The tracking system 100 creates 818 behavior profiles for each of thegenerated zones. As noted above with reference to FIG. 6, the trackingsystem 100 can generate the parameters in the behavior profile for asmart zone based on the category of the smart zone and based on trackingdevice data received from a plurality of users who have visited thesmart zone. The tracking system 100 may also create 818 behaviorprofiles for the safe zones.

The tracking system 100 stores 820 the created zones and behaviorprofiles. For example, the zones and behavior profiles are stored in thezone database 218 or in the user database 210 in association with theuser's other data.

In addition to the process 800 described above, the tracking system 100may also generate smart zones with other methods. In one embodiment, thetracking system 100 also performs a process that can generate atemporary smart zone for a public event such as an outdoor concert or aparade. For example, the tracking system 100 monitors public placeswhere public events typically occur (e.g., the National Mall inWashington, D.C.) and creates a temporary smart zone in the public placewhen the number of people in the public place exceeds a thresholdnumber. The threshold number can be determined based on an averagenumber of people in the public place (e.g., the threshold number isthree times the average number, so a temporary smart zone is createdwhen three times as many people as average are in the public place. Thetracking system 100 can determine the number of people in the publicplace, for example, based on location points received from mobiledevices 102 in the public place over a relatively short trailing timewindow (e.g., the preceding hour). The tracking system 100 canadditionally or alternatively generate a temporary smart zone based onpublicly available information that provides a time and place for apublic event or by user input from an operator of the tracking system100 or a user of mobile device 102 in communication with the trackingsystem.

The tracking system 100 may also generate smart zones that areapplicable to multiple users (similar to the high-risk zones describedabove) by combining location datasets for multiple users and providingthe combined location dataset to the clustering algorithm describedabove. The tracking system 100 can then generate 816 the smart zones inthe same manner as described above by performing the clusteringalgorithm to identify dense locations and then filtering out high-riskzones and safe zones. However, rather than filtering out the safe zonesfor a single user, the tracking system 100 filters out the safe zonesfor each of the multiple users whose location datasets were provided asinput to the clustering algorithm.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a process 900 for modifying trackingdevice behavior based on presence in a smart zone, according to oneembodiment. In other embodiments, the process 900 may include additionalsteps not shown in FIG. 8, and some of the steps in the process 900 maybe omitted or performed in a different order.

The mobile device 102 detects 910 the user's presence in the smart zone.For example, location data from a location tracking feature on themobile device 910 indicates that the mobile device 102 is inside ageofence that defines the boundaries of a smart zone. After detecting910 the user's presence in the smart zone, the mobile device 102accesses the behavior profile for the smart zone. For example, themobile device 102 retrieves the behavior profile from the trackingsystem 100. As another example, the mobile device 102 maintains a localcache of behavior profiles for frequently visited smart zones, and themobile device 102 accesses the behavior profile in the cache.

The mobile device 102 reconfigures 912 a connected tracking device 106based on the behavior profile. For example, the behavior profile mayspecify parameters that change settings on the tracking device 106, suchas the power and frequency of the beacon signal broadcast by thetracking device 106 or the volume of audio alerts emitted by a speakeron the tracking device 106, and the mobile device 102 reconfigures 912the tracking device 106 by applying these settings. The mobile device102 also reconfigures 914 itself based on the behavior profile. Forexample, the mobile device 102 adjusts its notification delay time tomatch the notification delay time specified in the behavior profile. Themobile device 102 may also adjust the intensity of the notificationsthat it provides based on parameters specified in the behavior model.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a process 1000 for modifyingtracking device behavior based on presence in an area, according to oneembodiment. In other embodiments, the process 1000 may includeadditional steps not shown in FIG. 8, and some of the steps in theprocess 1000 may be omitted or performed in a different order.

The mobile device 102 detects 1010 the user's presence in an area. Forexample, in an embodiment where the home area is defined as a circlecentered on the user's home with a predetermined radius (e.g., 50miles), then the mobile device 102 determines a distance between thelocation of the mobile device 102 and the location of the user's home.If the distance is less than the predetermined radius, then the mobiledevice 102 is inside the home area. Similarly, if a travel area isdefined as a circle with a predetermined radius centered on atransit-related high-risk zone or a location associated with a hotel,the mobile device 102 determines that it is inside the travel area ifthe distance between the mobile device and the center of the travel areais less than the predetermined radius.

The mobile device 102 reconfigures 1012 a connected tracking device 106based on the loss probability for the area. The mobile device 102 alsoreconfigures 1014 itself based on the loss probability for the area. Forexample, the mobile device 102 may modify its own settings or settingsof the tracking device 106 based on a loss coefficient in the mannerdescribed above with reference to FIG. 7.

Although the steps of the processes 900, 1000 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10are described as being performed on the mobile device 102, some or allof the steps of these processes 900, 1000 may alternatively be performedon the tracking system 100.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedisclosure.

Any of the devices or systems described herein can be implemented by oneor more computing devices. A computing device can include a processor, amemory, a storage device, an I/O interface, and a communicationinterface, which may be communicatively coupled by way of communicationinfrastructure. Additional or alternative components may be used inother embodiments. In particular embodiments, a processor includeshardware for executing computer program instructions by retrieving theinstructions from an internal register, an internal cache, or othermemory or storage device, and decoding and executing them. The memorycan be used for storing data or instructions for execution by theprocessor. The memory can be any suitable storage mechanism, such asRAM, ROM, flash memory, solid state memory, and the like. The storagedevice can store data or computer instructions, and can include a harddisk drive, flash memory, an optical disc, or any other suitable storagedevice. The I/O interface allows a user to interact with the computingdevice, and can include a mouse, keypad, keyboard, touch screeninterface, and the like. The communication interface can includehardware, software, or a combination of both, and can provide one ormore interfaces for communication with other devices or entities.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments of theinvention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations ofoperations on information. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are commonly used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively toothers skilled in the art. These operations, while describedfunctionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to beimplemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits,microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient attimes, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, withoutloss of generality. The described operations and their associatedmodules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or anycombinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus forperforming the operations herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, and/or it may comprise ageneral-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfiguredby a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer programmay be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storagemedium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus.Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification mayinclude a single processor or may be architectures employing multipleprocessor designs for increased computing capability.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to a product that isproduced by a computing process described herein. Such a product maycomprise information resulting from a computing process, where theinformation is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readablestorage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer programproduct or other data combination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited notby this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsof the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, ofthe scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for locating a tracking device, comprising: accessing, by a central tracking system, information describing each of one or more geographic regions, each geographic region associated with a geographic boundary and a tracking device configuration mode corresponding to the geographic region; determining, by the central tracking system, that a user of the tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary of a first geographic region; identifying, by the central tracking system, the tracking device configuration mode corresponding to the first geographic region; and providing, by the central tracking system, an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device operating mode, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified tracking device operating mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected signal transmission rate increases as the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region increases.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified tracking device operating mode comprises a rate of power consumption selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform steps comprising: accessing information describing each of one or more geographic regions, each geographic region associated with a geographic boundary and a tracking device configuration mode corresponding to the geographic region; determining that a user of the tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary of a first geographic region; identifying the tracking device configuration mode corresponding to the first geographic region; and providing an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device operating mode, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the identified tracking device operating mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the selected signal transmission rate increases as the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region increases.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the identified tracking device operating mode comprises a rate of power consumption selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.
 15. A system for locating a tracking device, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause steps to be performed by the system comprising: accessing information describing each of one or more geographic regions, each geographic region associated with a geographic boundary and a tracking device configuration mode corresponding to the geographic region; determining that a user of the tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary of a first geographic region; identifying the tracking device configuration mode corresponding to the first geographic region; and providing an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device operating mode, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein the identified tracking device operating mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.
 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the identified tracking device operating mode comprises a rate of power consumption selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region. 